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In 1922 many roads ceased to be paved when they left a metropolitan area. I doubt there were any paved roads to connect DC and Chicago. Chains were probably needed at times, but why were they still on the truck when it arrived in DC? I think it was nostalgia: when you've ridden buckboards most of your life any thing else just didn't feel right.

Harding's Turkey Passes Through

Thanksgiving Turkey Sent by Packing House Girls Arrived Early Tuesday.

Just about daybreak last Tuesday morning a mud-splashed General Motors Company's truck passed through Baltimore on the last leg of its journey from Chicago to Washington, bearing a burden which was of powerful interest to the Chief Executive of the nation. It was the Thanksgiving turkey for the White House, which has for the past three years been presented by the girl employees of Morris & Co.

Because of freight congestion this year there appeared imminent danger of the turkey arriving late, so extraordinary efforts were made to get it to Washington on time. It was probably a publicity man who suggested the solution to the difficulty, but as it was a good stunt it deserves the reward of good publicity—publication with credit.

The General Motors Company offered a truck to make the run from Chicago with the turkey. It was loaded on the truck last Sunday night and the trip began. Thirty-seven hours and thirty-four minutes later the turkey was delivered at the White House. The running time was 22 miles an hour. Snow and ice were encountered for 100 miles through the mountains. …

For the past three years it has been the custom of the Harding Girls' Club to send the President and the first lady of the land their Thanksgiving dinner, but this year, due to scarcity of large turkeys, one weighing 41 pounds could not be obtained until several days prior to Thanksgiving, making it too late to be sent by messenger or train.

The girls made a special motor coat of black and gold for the bird to insure him against catching cold and a special cage was built, mounted on the rear of the truck on spiral springs to insure his comfort. Special feed and water were carried the entire distance.

Shorpy.com | History in HD is a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago.